Hyphen Media launches, telling stories by and about people of color, for everyone

Today, Hyphen Medialaunches as a new, premium audio-first entertainment company that tells stories by and about people of color, for everybody, with the mission of championing inclusion through diversity. Founded by seasoned media executives Andrew Kuo and Kareem Rahma, Hyphen Media will be a home for original and immersive storytelling, giving underrepresented voices a platform to tell their stories.

“As podcasts continue to solidify their position as a go-to medium in entertainment, it’s imperative to amplify stories and voices that accurately reflect the diverse makeup of our country,” said Andrew Kuo, Co-founder and CEO, Hyphen Media. “We celebrate our differences and unique points of view to tell authentic stories that appeal to all audiences far and wide.”

Hyphen Media is backed by influential investors and business figures, including Hyphen Capital, which supports the next generation of the nation’s leading Asian American founders; media veteran Sean Cohan; James Cole, Jr., Board Member of AIG and CEO of The Jasco Group; and Jennifer Fitzgerald, Co-founder and CEO of Policygenius. With this funding, Hyphen Media plans to build out their team and continue investing in the upcoming development slate.

“One of the main reasons I started Hyphen Capital was to change the narrative around Asian American founders,” said Dave Lu, Managing Partner at Hyphen Capital. “We invested in Hyphen Media because they’re building a platform for underrepresented voices to be heard, which is something the entertainment industry needs right now. By creating content that represents the perspectives of people of color, audiences can see themselves and that’s extremely powerful.”

Hyphen Media is currently in production on a number of original podcasts, both fiction and non-fiction formats, that span across various genres — from comedy to thriller, to autobiographical folktales and science fiction. Its upcoming slate of projects includes creators behind popular television shows, including Abdullah Saeed, a Pakistani-American writer who starred and wrote on HBO’s hit comedy “High Maintenance”; Mamoudou N’Diaye, a Mauritanian-American Muslim writer and comedian who wrote for Netflix’s “Space Force”; and Korean-American writer Sarah Cho, who’s currently working on Hulu’s highly anticipated drama “The Girl from Plainville.”

Hyphen Media works closely with writers and creators to originate narrative fiction and non-fiction podcasts that have the potential to grow and be adapted into other forms of entertainment, including television series and feature films. To aid in this effort, the Company has partnerships in place with First Look Media’s new streaming service Topic, QCODE Media, SALT, and the premium non-fiction film and television studio, XTR.

“We’re excited to partner with incredible talent and bring their stories to life. We know this talent pool is deep and also eager for a home that will support their creativity,” said Kareem Rahma, Co-founder and Chief Creative Officer, Hyphen Media. “Putting authentic voices at the helm of these podcasts is paramount to delivering entertaining stories and we look forward to using our storytelling to build community over time.”

For the latest news on upcoming podcasts and the voices behind them please visit the Hyphen Media website.

ABOUT HYPHEN MEDIA

Hyphen Media is a premium audio-first entertainment company telling stories by and about people of color, for everyone. Founded by seasoned media executives Andrew Kuo and Kareem Rahma, Hyphen Media was created to amplify underrepresented voices through original and immersive storytelling. Hyphen Media produces narrative fiction and non-fiction podcasts that have the potential to grow and be adapted into other forms of entertainment, including television series and feature films. Backed by industry leading investors and stakeholders who share the same mission, Hyphen Media is championing inclusion by giving underrepresented voices a platform to tell their stories.

Andrew Kuo

Andrew Kuo is Co-founder and CEO of Hyphen Media. Prior to founding Hyphen Media, Andrew was Managing Director of 88rising, the leading Asian youth culture brand. He helped lead their recent stage of growth, closing its latest round of fundraising, launching its TV/Film studio in partnership with Sony Pictures and creating its newest record label, Paradise Rising. Previously, as a Vice President at A+E Networks, Andrew grew A+E’s portfolio of brands internationally including History and Lifetime, focusing on business development and strategy. Before entering the entertainment industry, Andrew worked on Wall Street as an investment banker at Deutsche Bank and corporate lawyer at Skadden Arps. His early career began in politics, with US Senators Gary Peters (Michigan) and Dick Durbin (Illinois).

Andrew earned his BBA, Magna Cum Laude, from Loyola University Chicago and his JD from the University of Chicago, where he served in the Edwin F. Mandel Legal Aid Clinic’s Civil Rights and Police Accountability Project, one of the nation’s leading law school civil rights clinics focusing on issues of race and criminal justice. Andrew was born in Detroit to Taiwanese immigrants, and is currently based in New York City.

Kareem Rahma

Kareem Rahma is an Egyptian-American entrepreneur and Webby-nominated writer and comedian. He is Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Hyphen Media, and a Senior Advisor to premium non-fiction TV/Film studio XTR.

Kareem was most recently the Co-Founder and CEO of Nameless Network, an entertainment company that created smart video content for the smartphone generation, reaching over 300 million people every month. To expand the brand into an immersive physical experience, Kareem launched the Museum of Pizza in Brooklyn, which celebrated the Internet’s love of pizza.

Before Nameless Network, Kareem helped shape audience development and video engagement at The New York Times as Growth Editor. As one of the first employees to transition from a business role to an editorial role, he helmed the charge to publish their first vertical video. Prior to The New York Times, Kareem led global marketing at VICE, executing award-winning branded content campaigns.

Kareem is also a published author. In 2020, he published a book of poetry titled We Were Promised Flying Cars with Brooklyn-based Pioneer Works. In 2019, Kareem received an Above The Fold Award from The University of Minnesota’s Hubbard School of Journalism, honoring alumni under the age of 40 who have made exceptional contributions to their fields. He was also named one of CairoScene’s 18 of 2018 Egyptians which is given to inspirational Egyptians who have innovated in their industries or impacted their communities in meaningful ways.